--- description: Amal Clooney laid her case before the European Court of Human Rights against a Turkish politician who denied the Armenian genocide. title: Watch Amal Clooney Argue her Case Against Armenian Genocide Denier image: https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/bltde093bcdab65f2d0/6988d9b9bc6cfc69913e2a3c/time-logo.jpg?branch=production --- * [Entertainment](/section/entertainment/) ## Entertainment Update your preferences in [Account Settings](/account/preferences/) Close * [europe](/tag/europe/) ## europe Update your preferences in [Account Settings](/account/preferences/) Close # Watch Amal Clooney Eloquently Argue Her Case in Armenian Genocide Hearing  by [Noah Rayman](/author/noah-rayman/)  ## Noah Rayman Update your preferences in [Account Settings](/account/preferences/) Close Jan 29, 2015 5:48 PM CUT  by [Noah Rayman](/author/noah-rayman/)  ## Noah Rayman Update your preferences in [Account Settings](/account/preferences/) Close Jan 29, 2015 5:48 PM CUT Amal Clooney laid her case before the European Court of Human Rights on Wednesday against a Turkish politician who denied the 1915 Armenian genocide. The international human rights lawyer is representing Armenia in a case against Dogu Perincek, the chairman of the Turkish Workers’ Party, who was convicted in Switzerland in 2005 for calling the Armenian genocide an “international lie.” The Strasbourg-based ECHR later agreed with Perincek that the conviction violated his freedom of expression, and now Switzerland is appealing, with Armenia’s backing as a third party. “The most important error” made in the earlier ECHR ruling, Clooney said, “is that it cast doubt on the reality of the Armenian genocide that the people suffered 100 years ago.” In her remarks, Clooney noted Turkey’s “disgraceful” record on freedom of expression. An estimated 1.5 million Armenians were killed by Ottoman Turks in what historians widely consider to be the first genocide of the 20th century, but Turkey has contested the numbers and refused to call it a genocide. The case could also have wider implications for Europe, where several countries have laws prohibiting public denial of past genocides such as the Holocaust. Clooney, now arguably the most famous human rights lawyer in the world after marrying actor George Clooney in September, previously represented Greece in its long-running bid to have a collection of classical Greek sculptures returned from the British Museum. She also defended one of three al-Jazeera journalists detained in Egypt. _Read next:_ [_Amal Clooney Begins Next Big Human Rights Case_](http://time.com/3686665/amal-clooney-human-rights-trial-armenia/?xid=time%5Freadnext "undefined") [_Listen to the most important stories of the day._](http://time.com/newsletter/the-brief/?sl%5Fautoplay=true&xid=spl-fullbrief-article "undefined") ### See the Elegant Style of Amal Clooney  Amal Clooney arrives for a hearing at the European Court of Human Rights in Strasbourg, France, on Jan. 28, 2015. Mustafa Yalcin—Anadolu Agency/Getty Images  Amal Clooney is seen in Los Angeles on Jan. 25, 2015. Splash News/Corbis  Amal Clooney attends the 72nd Annual Golden Globe Awards at The Beverly Hilton Hotel in Beverly Hills, Calif., on Jan. 11, 2015. Jason Merritt—Getty Images  Amal Clooney arrives in Athens as part of a team advising the Greek government on its bid to reclaim the ancient artifacts from Britain on Oct. 14, 2014. Ayhan Mehmet—Anadolu Agency/Getty Images  George and Amal Clooney stand on a taxi boat on the Grand Canal in Venice on Sept. 28, 2014. Pierre Teyssot—AFP/Getty Images  Amal and George Clooney arrive at the palazzo Ca Farsetti for a civil ceremony to officialize their wedding in Venice on Sept. 29, 2014. Pierre Teyssot—AFP/Getty Images  The Oct. 13, 2014, cover of People shows George Clooney and Amal Alamuddin at their Sept. 27 wedding in Venice, Italy. People Magazine/AP  Amal Alamuddin and George Clooney attend the Celebrity Fight Night In Italy benefitting The Andrea Bocelli Foundation and The Muhammad Ali Parkinson Center Gala in Florence, Italy, on Sept. 7, 2014. Andrew Goodman—Getty Images  Amal Alamuddin attends the Global Summit to End Sexual Violence in Conflict at ExCel in London on June 12, 2014. Eamonn M. 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